It was the last night of August, the transfer window was closing the next day and Aston Villa, without their goalkeeper Emi Martinez, were losing 3-0 at home to Crystal Palace.
Villa’s third league game of the season was bringing a second loss, following a 1-0 defeat at Brentford. On the opening day Villa had drawn 0-0 with Newcastle. So here were Villa, one point from three matches, no goals and their famous keeper on the brink of departure. “Frustrated,” was the word Unai Emery used repeatedly that night.
Martinez’s destination appeared to be Manchester United and his lack of involvement against Palace suggested he wanted the move. But around 20 hours on, United had signed Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp and as Martinez flew to Argentina for the international break, he remained a Villa player.
Today Martinez may look at the Premier League table and thank fate or United’s decision-makers. The fact it shows Villa only three places and seven points above United does not convey our perception of the state of the two teams: one is structured, progressive and certain – Villa; the other is loose, erratic and uncertain – United.
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On Sunday they meet at Villa Park, where the home team has not lost since that Palace match. Villa have won their last six league games there, including against Manchester City and Arsenal. Given United have not kept a clean sheet away from home in the Premier League since winning at Leicester City in mid-March, it is nigh on inconceivable they will shut out Villa.
United will therefore need to score – past Martinez – to get something and he will not lack motivation after August’s window experience. Victor Lindelof turned out to be the player the two clubs traded in those final hours – except he went from United to Villa Park. He will be motivated, too.
But then Aston Villa as a squad, as a club, will be roused. This is the first meeting of the clubs since the final afternoon of last season, when the disallowing of Morgan Rogers’s legitimate goal at 0-0 in the game at Old Trafford played a pivotal part in Villa missing out on Champions League football this season.
When the final whistle blew, Emery stood still on the touchline for an age as a camera rotated around him invading his privacy. Emery did well to restrain himself.
He must have been thinking what might have been, in the future tense. One month earlier Villa had beaten Paris St Germain 3-2 in the second leg of the quarter-final of the Champions League and had exited 5-4 on aggregate. Emery’s side were so close.
But when this season started with the goalless run, and the transfer window brought an €11 million income surplus, Emery could have felt success was slipping further away. He cannot complain too much, however, about finances – Villa are as invested, literally, in the modern money game as any club and were fined €11 million (€15 million suspended) by Uefa in July for breaching the wage limit ratio.
And since the closure of the window, Villa have lost one league game – 2-0 at Liverpool on November 1st. They have climbed the table with a sure-footedness reflecting the precision of Emery’s coaching and the ability within the existing squad.
An intangible – continuity of personnel – always seems to be underrated, and instead of new players there have been new contracts for Lucas Digne, Matty Cash, John McGinn and Rogers. Rogers signed his on November 10th and scored two in the 2-1 win at Leeds in the next game. He scored two last weekend, the second of which won the points at West Ham – Rogers has, in fact, scored only five goals this season but they have come in three away wins. They have added value.
Emery has a few gems in his squad, but none more polished than the 23-year-old who grew up near Birmingham and started in the West Bromwich Albion academy system alongside Finn Azaz. Rogers made only one West Brom senior appearance, in February 2019, as a substitute in an FA Cup-tie against Brighton. He was 16 and replaced Wes Hoolahan, who we have probably forgotten had a season at the Hawthorns post-Norwich.
Manchester City had seen enough and paid a reported £4 million for the teenager that summer. Rogers had grown up around Jude Bellingham in the west midlands, the two becoming friends; now he encountered Cole Palmer in the City system. Again a close friendship was made and it can be seen in Rogers sharing Palmer’s “cold” goal celebration. England have some talent in that trio.
Sent on loan to Lincoln City in 2021, Rogers was part of an attack featuring Brennan Johnson, also on loan. Rogers then went to Bournemouth, playing under Scott Parker, then experienced a relegation battle at Blackpool in League One. He was causing ripples of interest rather than waves, and with City devouring the Premier League and the first team looking impenetrable to someone about to turn 21, he left for Middlesbrough in the Championship. It was July 2023 and the fee was about £1 million. When Palmer left the same City set-up he cost Chelsea £40 million.
Rogers was on Teesside six months when Boro drew Villa in the FA Cup. Rogers played 90 minutes in a match the visitors won 1-0 late on. What Rogers did not know was that Emery was observing him “pre-match” as well as in the game, a detail revealed later by Villa’s sporting director of the time, Monchi.
Emery was clearly convinced and Rogers played only three more times for Boro. An initial transfer fee of £8 million can rise to £15 million.
It just so happened a couple of us were with Rogers at Boro’s training ground the day Villa made their opening bid. Smart, modest, likable, he said he felt he had “been through quite a lot already” at those various clubs. He is big for someone who moves with such sleek ease, 6ft 3in he confirmed.
He said he had “learned a lot” working under Enzo Maresca in City’s academy. Which is interesting – next Saturday Villa go to Stamford Bridge, so Rogers will see Palmer and Maresca again. Three days later it is a trip to Arsenal. Those hesitating to include Emery’s side in Premier League title talk should have their opinion confirmed or overturned by those two fixtures.
But first it is Manchester United at home, where Rogers has not scored since April. The statistic feels ominous for United; Rogers’s record surely cannot last. That is before he and Emery recall May’s damaging disallowed goal at Old Trafford. Expect Villa Park to rock, and Rogers to roll.
